Would you like more playing time?

 

Of course, who wouldn’t?  Everyone wants to play more.

 

But there are only so many minutes in a game (see below in the PS).

 

Therefore, coaches play the players they believe give them the best chance to win.

 

How do you prove to your coach that you can contribute? You do it through your performance in practice and through your performance in games (no matter how limited that is). 

 

Playing time is earned, not given.  That is a key distinction that most players (and many parents) don’t quite grasp.

 

Here are 17 ways you can earn more playing time towards the end of the season:

 

1)    Maintain a great attitude at all times.  Remember, your body language speaks volumes about your attitude.

 

2)    Put your team first. Don’t be the player who pouts when your team wins (because you didn’t play as much as you would have liked).  While that behavior is understandable, it is 100% unacceptable.

 

3)    Be ready.  When your number is called, whether in practice or in a game, you don’t have time to get ready… you have to be ready.  You need to ‘be in the game’ even when you’re not in the game.

 

4)    Make your teammates better. You do this by playing as hard, as smart, and as well as you are capable of every day in practice. Trust me, your coach will notice.

 

5)    Maximize every opportunity.  If you get to play for 2 minutes at the end of a blowout game, make the most of it.  Take it seriously and play hard! Those 2 minutes may turn to 4 minutes the next time.

 

6)    Do your job every day.  Coaches appreciate, respect and notice consistency… even from the ‘15^th man.’

 

7)    Don’t be too cool. Casually going through the motions, during drills at practice or during pre-game warm-ups, is the quickest way to stay at the end of the bench.

 

8)    Come in early and stay late.  There is nothing more impressive than a player going the extra mile to develop during the season… especially when they aren’t playing much.  This is the most effective way for you to get noticed.

 

9)    Be coachable.

 

10)  Showcase your specialty. What is one skill you believe you have that can help your team win? Rebounding? Defending? Shooting? Make sure you showcase this every day in practice.

 

11)  Make free throws. Do you think your coach isn’t watching when you break to shoot free throws during practice and you aren’t taking them seriously? Think again. And every team needs a clutch FT shooter. Here is how you become one:

 

 

12)  DEFEND! Play solid individual and team defense every rep of every drill of every practice.  This alone will help you earn more PT.

 

13)  Be an energy giver.  Raise the level of those around you during practice and from the bench during games with your enthusiasm and positive energy.  If your teammate takes a charge during a game, stand up and cheer!  

 

14)  Be likeable. Why would a coach play someone who acts like an A-hole? They won’t…

 

15)  Embrace your role.  It’s not everyone’s role to play 30 minutes or take 15 shots per game.  If you want your role to expand, you need to take pride in the role you have.  If you aren’t sure what your role is… just ask your coach.

 

16)  Protect your locker room.  Don’t let any outside influences disrupt your team.  And certainly don’t take part in conversations from whining, complaining, disgruntled teammates that undermine your coach. If you can’t influence them to stop, distance yourself from them.  Better yet, print this blog and tape it to their locker!

 

17)  Be patient. Seniors aside, if you are an underclassman, you still have the opportunity to earn more playing time next season.  Do the 17 things on this list now… to lay the foundation for next year.  And then plan to put in serious work this off-season. And if you are a senior… this is the year that you will be remembered for. Playing time aside, go out with class…

 

If you found this blog helpful, here are two other recent blogs that emphasize similar thoughts:

 

http://tinyurl.com/SevenMistakesIMade

 

http://tinyurl.com/HowToBeAnMVP

 

Play hard. Play smart. Enjoy the ride.

 

Alan Stein

http://www.About.me/AlanStein

 

PS: Exercise for coaches:

 

Before your next practice, hand each player an index card and a pen.  Ask them to write the number of minutes they would like to play in your next game.  Collect the cards and add up the numbers from each card.  The total will usually exceed the total player minutes available during an actual game (for example, a high school basketball game is 32 minutes long X 5 players on the court = 160 total player minutes… yet I have seen totals that nearly doubled that!). This will clearly illustrate to your team that everyone wants to play more than is actually possible. 

Have you ever heard this quote, “Individuals get better in the off-season, teams get better during the season.”

 

While I appreciate the mindset behind this, that team development must be the #1 priority during the season, I feel this statement implies that individual player development isn’t important from November to March.

 

If that’s the case, I highly disagree. Individuals need to get better during the season as well. In fact, the most effective way to improve your team is to improve yourself!

 

Individual player development (which should include both athleticism & movement training as well as basketball skills & fundamentals) should be addressed and given priority at every practice. To what extent you should focus on these elements depends on the age & level of the player, the length of practice and the time during season (early pre-season vs. playoff time).

 

I know you can’t win if you don’t rebound. I realize that ‘defense wins championships.’ However, the name of the game is to put the ball in the bucket.  So working on offensive moves and getting up quality reps of game shots from game spots at game speed is paramount to a team’s success.

 

Before he coached his first practice as the head coach of Butler, a colleague recommended Brad Stevens have a manager chart how many shots his best player took during the 2+ hour practice.  Coach Stevens ran what he thought was an excellent practice – in depth teaching, sound team concepts, etc.  After practice he found out his best player took less than 25 shots the entire practice, which Coach Stevens immediately recognized was unacceptable.  From that day forward he has implemented quality shooting drills in every practice.

 

Former NFL coach Jon Gruden laughs when coaches say, “We need to get back to working on the fundamentals” after a tough loss. Get back to them? Why did you abandon them in the first place? That’s probably why you lost!

 

While the amount of time you spend will vary, I firmly believe every practice should have an individual player development component.

 

Here are 7 keys to effective player development:

 

1. Build your game brick by brick.  Every rep of every set of every practice is important. How you do anything is how you do everything. You build a house one brick at time. You build your game one drill at a time.
   
   
2.  Leave your comfort zone. Once a player has the movement, skill or footwork down, they need to push harder than game speed. The harder you practice, the easier things become during games.
   
   
3. Be innovative. Casual spot shooting and stationary ball handling are more boring than yesterday’s newspaper.  Plus one can argue how transferable those drills really are. Drills need to be innovative, yet purposeful.  They need to be designed to improve game performance… not look cool for a YouTube video. Be innovative to improve effectiveness, not to look cool.
4. Know the ‘why’.  Every drill must have perceived relevance. That means the player clearly understands how this particular skill or drill will improve their game performance.  Will dribbling 3 basketballs reduce turnovers when the lights come on and the cheerleaders start dancing on Friday nights? Doubtful. Therefore it has minimal perceived relevance.
   
   
5. Use visualization. Great players like Kevin Durant and Chris Paul don’t just do a drill; they compete in that drill with the same focus and effort as if they were in the waning seconds of Game 7 of the NBA Finals. They imagine they are being guarded by an elite defender; not just ‘going around a cone.’
   
   
6. Avoid fatigue and boredom.  These are two of the biggest killers of player development.  You can combat this by being in excellent basketball shape and using innovative, purposeful drills (#2 above).  When your body gets tired, your mind quickly follows. No one can get better at a skill when his or her mind and body are exhausted.
   
   
7. Do everything with precision. Details matter! Perfect form and footwork are imperative. If you want to build a beautiful brick house (#1), you have to lay every single brick with care and precision.  Once you start sloppily laying bricks… the house suffers (both in appearance and structural integrity).

 

Also make sure you understand and remember that skill improvement is a process of 2’s:

 

It takes 2 minutes to learn a new move or new skill.

 

It takes 2 weeks to work on it daily until you develop confidence in it.

 

It takes 2 months of constant work to be competent enough to use it in a game.

 

I hope you find these suggestions helpful and I wish you the best the rest of this season.

 

Alan Stein

http://www.About.me/AlanStein

 

PS: Coaches and skill trainers, if you want to learn everything you need to know to successfully address the strength & conditioning, athleticism, and movement components of player development, you need to attend The Stronger Team Huddle in April:

 

 

Every player on the planet should have one goal for the New Year – to become an M.V.P.

 

No, not the Most Valuable Player.  There can only be one of those.

 

Every player should strive to become a More Valuable Player! Everyone can be that type of MVP!

 

Becoming a More Valuable Player will help you increase your playing time, make your teammates better, and improve your team’s ability to be successful.

 

There is no excuse for not becoming a More Valuable Player.

 

Why?

 

The things you need to do to add value to your game and to your team are 100% within your control. They have nothing to do with height, athleticism, or basketball talent.

 

Here are 7 ways you can become a More Valuable Player immediately, whether you play 30 seconds or 30 minutes per game:

 

1)    Arrive at every practice early so you can put in extra work.  Don’t wait for practice to start; prepare for it! Not everyone can shoot like Ray Allen. But everyone can prepare like Ray Allen:

 

 

2)    Schedule a private, individual meeting with your coach.  Begin the meeting by asking, ‘what do you need from me to help our team be more successful?’  Then do whatever your coach requests.

 

3)    Play Present every practice and every game. Learn to focus on the next play (put mistakes behind you immediately), focus on what you can control (your attitude and your effort), and focus on the process (build your success ‘brick by brick’). This will allow you to maximize your ability, regardless of your role or playing time.

 

4)    Give your absolute best effort every practice and every game. Go after loose balls. Take charges. Sprint the floor in both directions. Set solid screens. Block out every time a shot goes up.  Doing these things in practice will make your teammates better. Doing these things in games will give your team a much better chance to win.

 

5)    Communicate effectively! Communication is an invaluable trait. Talk on defense. Echo all offensive plays.  This is one of the easiest, yet most effective ways you can immediately add value to yourself and your team. Just talk!!

 

6)    Be a great teammate. Focus on making the players around you better, every practice and every game.  Help your teammate up if they dive on the floor.  Acknowledge them if they make a great pass. Encourage and support your teammates from the bench when they are in the game. Grab water for them during time-outs.  Stand up and clap when they come out of the game.

 

7)    Keep your circle tight.  Don’t let anything penetrate your locker your room.  If your season is going well, don’t allow your team to get cocky or complacent.  Work to make sure your teammates stay humble and hungry. If your season isn’t going very well, don’t let negativity or jealousy become a cancer.  Stay positive and continue to work hard every day.

 

If you can get every player on your team to be a More Valuable Player, the compound effect will astound you!

 

Train hard. Train smart. Enjoy the journey.

 

Alan Stein

http://www.About.me/AlanStein

 

PS: Basketball teams don't always have access to the weight room during the season. Here is an on-court strength workout you can do before or after practice:

 

On New Year’s Day of 2009, I set the goal of reading 50 books in the following 365 days. That added up to about one book per week, an extremely lofty goal by any account.  I am proud to say that I not only accomplished my goal that year, but I also ignited the habit of being a veracious reader – a trait that has paid enormous dividends for me personally and professionally.  I have read more books in the past 4 years than I did in my first 33!

 

Here are links to 3 of my full book lists:

 

2009 Book List: http://blog.strongerteam.com/post/2009/12/09/Mission-Accomplished.aspx

 

2010 Book List: http://blog.strongerteam.com/post/2010/12/21/2010-Book-List.aspx

 

2011 Book List: http://blog.strongerteam.com/post/2012/01/05/2011-Book-List.aspx

 

Instead of offering a full book list for 2012 (I read 25 books, kind of a down year for me), I decided to list my 10 favorites (in no particular order). As always, I aim to read an eclectic array of subjects to help me be the best father, husband, coach, and business owner I can.

 

1. How To Win in the Sport of Business (e-book) by Mark Cuban

 

1. Wheat Belly (Audiobook) by Dr. William Davis

 

1. The Game of My Life by Jason McElwain

 

1. For Better or for Work by Meg Cadoux Hirshberg

 

1. Drop Dead Healthy (Audiobook) by AJ Jacobs

 

1. The Millionaire Messenger by Brendon Burchard

 

1. How to Teach Your Baby to be Physically Superb by Glenn Doman

 

1. The Energy Bus (Audiobook) by Jon Gordon

 

1. The 4 Hour Work Week (Audiobook) by Tim Ferriss

 

1. The Book of Business Awesome by Scott Stratten

 

Of the 166 books I have read since 2009, here is a list of my own personal favorites in reverse order…

 

#13) Play Their Hearts Out by George Dohrmann

An eye opening view of the pitfalls of elite youth basketball

 

#12) Basketball Junkie by Chris Herron

Captivating story that will make you laugh, cry, and reflect on your own life

 

#11) The Way of the Shepherd by Dr. Kevin Leman

A phenomenal story on leadership

 

#10) Mind Gym by Gary Mack

A tremendous resource on mental training

 

#9) How Rich People Think by Steve Siebold

Should be required reading in high school

 

#8) Me 2.0 by Dan Schawbel

A magnificent resource on personal branding

 

#7) Game On by Tom Farrey

Alarming look at the American sports culture

 

#6) Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh

Explains the reasons why Zappos.com so successful

 

#5) How Lucky You Can Be by Buster Olney

An inspiring and emotional story of a coaching icon

 

#4) How Full Is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath

Should be required reading in high school

 

#3) The Go-Giver by Bob Burg

A must read for every human being on the planet

 

#2) Success is a Choice by Rick Pitino (*read prior to 2009)

This book created the biggest mind shift I have ever experienced

 

#1) Leading with the Heart by Coach K (*read prior to 2009)

Should be mandatory reading for every coach

 

Here is a list of my 7 favorite Audiobooks in reverse order…

 

#7) The 50^th Law by Robert Greene and 50 Cent

Fascinating story of how 50 became a hip-hop mogul

 

#6) People Are Idiots And I Can Prove It by Larry Winget

Hilarious and extremely accurate & insightful

 

#5) Always Looking Up by Michael J Fox

An amazing “feel good” story

 

#4) The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

This audiobook should be required listening in high school

 

#3) The Success Principles by Jack Canfield

A tremendous resource on becoming successful

 

#2) Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Incredible insight about the uber-successful

 

#1) The Story of You (CD set) by Steven Chandler

A life-changing concept

 

I hope you find these lists both helpful and inspiring. I wish you health, happiness, and success in 2013. I look forward to serving you!

Alan Stein

http://www.About.me/AlanStein

I hope this Christmas break continues to afford you quality time with family and friends, time to reflect on this past year’s successes and challenges, and time to get refocused and re-energized to make 2013 the best year of your life (on and off the court).  Some of you may be playing in a holiday tournament this week, whiles others of you will get some well deserved time off.

 

Here are 6 things you can do to maximize your performance during the season:

 

1)    Know Your Role.  What is the best advice I can give for being the best player you can be? Know your role, accept your role, and most importantly… embrace your role.  Listen to the first installment of The Stronger Team Insider video series for additional tips:

 

 

2)    Eat well.  The school year and playing season is hectic.  Eating well can be a challenge.  Take the time and make the effort to eat regular healthy, nutritious meals whenever you can.  You don’t have to be perfect, but aim to eat well at least 80% of the time. Try to avoid fast food, junk food and food packed with illegible ingredients.

 

3)    Sleep well.  Your body is in a constant state of fatigue during the season.  Consistently getting 8+ hours sleep and an occasional afternoon powernap (on weekends or days off) can do wonders for recharging your battery. Avoid the temptation to stay up to the wee hours of morning playing X-box or watching old movies on TNT.

 

4)    Recover well.  Foam rolling is a type of self-massage that promotes muscular health.  The grind of the season has undoubtedly left your muscles tight, tense and sore.  Several sessions of foam rolling can alleviate tension and make your muscles more pliable.  Watch this video to see how:

 

 

5)    Study well.  While your schoolwork is very important, that is not what I am referring too here. I am talking about being a student of the game.  Over the next few weeks there will be a ton of great college and NBA games on.  Here is my challenge when you watch:

 

Pick one player and only watch that player for the entire game.  Don’t watch the ball, unless of course, that player has the ball.  Keep your eyes locked on that player on both ends of the floor.  You should be so dialed in that you miss most of the action you would normally see. When your player comes out of the game, watch the player that replaces him in the same fashion (but occasionally glance back to watch your player on the bench). Believe me, this isn’t easy.  I give most of you 30 seconds… and you will be back to ball watching!

 

6)    Prepare well. If you want to get 2013 started off on the right foot, here is a very simple, yet extremely effective method that will have an enormous effect on your success. Pick one ‘bad’ habit you have and eliminate it completely.  Pick one ‘good’ habit you would like to acquire and add it to your daily routine. No need to change your entire life, just focus on doing these two things every day in January and you will be astounded by the results!  This works well for basketball habits or life habits.

 

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and New Year.

 

I look forward to serving you in 2013.

 

Alan Stein

http://www.About.me/AlanStein